Healthy Choices for Life

By Christina Lee Steele Chapan

My name is Chris Chapan and I am a elementary teacher and a youth fitness personal trainer. I first began to be interested in fitness and nutrition when I lost thirty pounds and began changing my lifestyle.  As a result and the desire to help others, I became a certified personal trainer through ACE (American Council on Exercise).  It was the most challenging exam I have ever taken in my academic career.  Recently I received my second certification from ISSA (International Science and Sports Association) in Youth Fitness Personal Training.

I used a variety of ways to teach fitness and nutrition in my classroom these last few years.  First, I put on a weeklong play that taught the importance of eating from the food pyramid and getting enough nutients every day.  We also used the National Dairy Council’s curriculum in our classroom.  In addition, we went to a grocery store the last two years to participate in a tour focusing on eating for good health and learning about new kinds of fruits and vegetables.  In science, we looked at, tasted, and charted salty, sweet, bitter, and sour foods.  We also talked about sugar, compared different kinds of food labels, conducted web quests on nutrition, and played several of the Dole Nutritional Games on the 5 A Day CD Rom.  In addition, I had at least one registered dietitian come and talk about the importance of eating right and the preventative health benefits of making wise food choices as a young person.  By using my math, language arts, character education, and reading periods to teach about nutrition and fitness, I am able to incorporate the theme of healthy eating across the curriculum.  When I sit with the students at lunch, I always eat healthy foods and try to encourage my students to do the same.  Students often ask questions about what I am eating and whether or not the food is healthy.

In my character education program, I talk about different kinds of fitness and show how sports and physical activity teach cooperation, stability, and coordination.  One of my primary goals in this program is to encourage my students use these habits for a lifetime.  I also conduct science seminars for teachers on finding new ways to teach the importance of health and fitness across the curriculum.

I have also coordinated lunchtime programs focusing on the importance of good health, and this year my co-teacher and I used the Dole 5 A Day  Play as a basis for our third grade play. 

In my spare time, I write articles for various fitness organizations and teach a class at my church promoting health and wellness.  I also do organized games for children at my church to keep kids actively engaged in our church nursery during choir rehearsal and  I also teach classes for elementary students at my local recreational center.

During the school year, my health and nutrition unit lasts for about two months, but I try to talk about the importance of a healthy lifestyle all year long.  In my summer school program, we talk about fitness and nutrition across the curriculum for at least two weeks out of the six-week session.  Last year I had a total of seventy-one students benefit from my health program.  I taught two science classes of eighteen students each, twenty students in my lunchtime breakfast play program, and fifteen students in my summer school program.  In addition, I teach in our after school care program on a weekly basis and I always include an activity related to health or nutrition. 

I believe that teaching my students about health and nutrition has made them more aware of the importance of eating right.  In fact, many of my students’ parents now bring healthy treats to our holiday parties as alternatives to the more common, less nutritional treats.  Sometimes, even the parents will ask me questions about fitness and nutrition.  Ultimately, by teaching students the importance of choosing a healthy lifestyle, my goal is that they will live long, healthy, and active lives.

I am available for group fitness or personal training on fitness and nutrition for elementary children.  My email is cchapan@yahoo.com or 708-687-0337.